7 Things for Motivation
OMG. This is so hard. I find motivation all around me. In fact, I seek motivation around me. I don’t think it’s only in one particular place or person. I think it’s fluid and the ability to find it anywhere any place, from both within and from external sources, is one of the key executive function skills necessary for peace and success. So here I go. It’s 8:30ish am in San Diego, where I am visiting my sister. I’m about to take the kids to LEGOLAND. What sources of motivation do I see/ hear/ feel/ smell/ taste?
The coffee. My sister recently went to Hawaii with her daughter and got hooked on Kauai Coffee. It’s not the jolt of caffeine that inspires me, but the fact that my sister had planned and saved for her dream trip. As a single mom, she made it happen. She traveled alone with my niece, and had the adventure of a lifetime.
Scotch and Sweetpea. My sister’s cats escape through the second story window, run down the front stairs. To sneak back in the house, they climb the cypress tree, leap to the back balcony and squeeze through the sliding door. Nothing comes between them and a fun field day. I can choose an alternate path too.
“Chicken Nugget Dreamland” by Parry Gripp. I can choose to have this song annoy the heck out of me. Or I can choose to let it motivate me. It’s catchy and clever. My son is hooked on this song. If a chicken nugget can get someone to sing and dance at 6:17am, I can do that too.
The avocado tree. My sister has an aging avocado tree in her backyard. A rope swing hangs from its branches. The remains of a tree house are lodged in it. She tells me that it still produces fruit, not as abundantly as others, but delicious all the same. I would like to mature like this tree.
LEGO Minifigures. There are a handful of minifigures on the kitchen table, ready for trading. These minifigures have interchangeable accessories: heads, hair, swords, bottoms, capes, etc. While I can’t swap out my entire head for a new one, I can choose to change my mindset. I can choose to change my clothes and my accessories. I can choose to adapt.
The sun! Whoever does not believe in global warming has not been in San Diego recently. It has been cold and raining for about a month now. The hills are lush and green. I have to borrow my sister’s coat! The forecast said today would be the coldest this week. But just now, for one minute, so far, the sun is peeking out. Despite all expectations and all complaints, I can choose to defy the trend and be myself.
Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning. It’s also on the kitchen table. Even in San Diego, New Orleans culture is part of our identity. We choose to add some spice to life. Bland is forever boring. Let’s get shakin’.
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